Lake Books

Fred Lake conducted 125 mail bid sales of numismatic literature from 1989 to 2016. Sales 1 to 51 were conducted under the banner of Function Associates, and thereafter as Lake Books. Lake Books website is at http://www.lakebooks.com (live as of 11/2016). In November 2016, Lake Books ceased operation and remaining stock was transferred to Alan Workman of Workman's Books (www.workmansbooks.com). Fred Lake passed away on December 25, 2016.

A history of the firm appeared on the Lake Books website (referenced 11/2016):

In 1989, the first Function Associates (Lake Books) catalog of numismatic literature was mailed to several hundred collectors. That mail-bid sale consisted of 602 lots in 22 pages and featured the "Redbook" collection of Harry X Boosel. Now in its 23rd year, Lake Books has issued over 110 sales with some 80,000 lots of numismatic reference material being listed. The customer base has increased to over nineteen hundred collectors and the distribution list circles the Earth. The consignor list has grown to several hundred people encompassing all areas of the numismatic experience.

As a coin collector, Fred Lake was keenly aware of the value of having research material available to consult. The old Aaron Feldman dictum, "Buy the Book Before the Coin", was reinforced by visits to the coin shop of Frank and Laurese Katen. The Katens stressed the importance of education in numismatics and they became good friends and advisors over the years. Frank can best be described as the mentor who fostered the growth of our present endeavours. He is missed as good counsel.

During these past twenty years, Fred has traveled extensively acquiring consignments and visiting many coin shows where Lake Books has maintained a "free" table at which a wealth of books and catalogs has been distributed to the public. One noted numismatist dubbed Fred, "The Johnny Appleseed of Numismatic Literature."

Fred and Joan Lake are partners in a very real sense. Joan has a background in the publishing field as a production coordinator, editor and manager. She also was the head librarian for a small, private library in Marshfield, Massachusetts, where the Lakes started what is now Lake Books. Fred is the cataloger for all of the sales and Joan assists with the packing and shipping of the lots won by bidders in each sale. They moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1989 and the business has been conducted from their residence since that time.

Fred is active in a number of numismatic organizations including the NBS, EAC, ANA, and has been a Director of the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) since 1998.

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The Newman Numismatic Portal is located at Washington University in St. Louis and funded by the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society. The NNP is dedicated to becoming the primary and most comprehensive resource for numismatic research and reference material, initially concentrating on U.S. Coinage and Currency. Contact us with suggestions and corrections.